Next To Him
by BlacKTea
Summary: They had an understanding. And no one else really needed to hear the words they didn't speak to one another. Future fic for Tonari no Seki-kun with Yokoi/Seki! Because reasons!


A/N: Hey! So I haven't been able to find any fic for this fandom except for one on Tumbler called Date which was enjoyable, but not enough to quench my thirst. Yokoi and Seki are just too cute not to ship! At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. If you've heard of any other fic with them please let me know. Also I wrote this under the assumption that the Japanese school year starts in the spring. If I'm wrong please let me know. I would love to hear how I did on the characterizations and the plot and pacing, but if don't want to review I can't make you. Also if anyone happens to know Seki's mother's actual name I would like to know it.

Update: I just stumbled upon the actual category for this series. I haven't checked it out, but I'm just glad there is one! Lol

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (excepts for the ones I made up) or the manga or anime. I do own the plot.

* * *

Yokoi Rumi loved college. She got to study the subjects that most interested her: history, literature and folkore. She got to manage her own time. And best of all, she no longer had to sit by Seki Toshinari.

Not everything was perfect though. Her roommate Tanaka Etsuko was a little standoffish, but it'd only been three weeks and some people took time to warm up. The math class she was required to take was hard and the professor was scary. Also the cafeteria food was mediocre at best. Fortunately every dormitory had its own kitchen that the students were welcome to use. She'd taken to using her food money at the local market rather than buying ready made stuff. It tasted better and was probably better for her.

All in all though, life wasn't too bad. The sun was shining and she'd taken advantage of the weather to do her math homework outside. The brightness and warmth made calculus slightly more tolerable.

She was working through a particularly annoying integral when her started to ring. A quick glance showed the called was unknown, but she was curious so she ended up answering.

"Moshi moshi?" She really hoped it wasn't one of those prerecorded messages or a telemarketer.

"Rumi-chan?" Oh. It was Seki Katsumi. She'd never understand how such a trouble maker could have such an awesome mother.

"Katsumi-san?" She only winced a little at using her first name, but the only way the older woman would allow her to address her by her last name was 'Seki-okaa-san' which made her feel much more uncomfortable.

"Hai. How are you Rumi-chan?"

Even though Katsumi couldn't see her she beamed. She'd always liked talking with the older woman. "Great! I'm really enjoying all my classes. Well, maybe not math so much, but school can't all be fun." Except maybe for her son. He managed that just fine.

"I bet Rumi-chan has many friends already."

Rumi bit her lip thinking about her roommate that wouldn't even look at her. And how she didn't really eat with anyone at meals. Or how she didn't really talk to anyone from class. College was different than high school where everyone had known each other forever. "Well, maybe not so much. Not yet." Because she would have friends eventually.

"Just give it time Rumi-chan. I bet by the end of the year you'll have so many friends you won't know what to do with them. Maybe you could even hang out with Toshi-kun. You know he's attending the same college as you."

What?! He was?! He would ruin everything! She won't be able to focus! He would distract her and-

Wait.

No he wouldn't. She hadn't even seen him yet. And they might never have even one class together. She sighed in relief. Everything would be fine.

"Etto, maybe." Or maybe _not_. She was not going to let him ruin college for her like he'd ruined high school. She could swear the teachers were malicious in always seating her next to him. "So Katsumi-san, did you just call to check on me?" Somehow she was afraid that wasn't the case.

"Well, I was wondering how you were doing Rumi-chan, but it wasn't the reason I called. I called because I'm worried about Toshi-kun."

Worried about Seki. Worried about Seki. Nope, she refused to be worried about him.

But why was Katsumi worried about Seki?

"Why?" Seki should be fine. He was plenty smart when he wasn't goofing off. Actually it could be argued he was smarter when he was goofing off. Although to be honest she was not quite sure how he'd managed to get into college. Or even graduate from high school. He'd never seemed to be in school to do _school_.

"Well, I haven't heard from Toshi-kun since he moved into the dorms."

Rumi actually shrugged. She'd _never_ heard Seki say anything and he rarely spoke to anyone. "Seki-kun is a boy of few words."

Katsumi sighed causing the phone to crackle for a moment. "That's true. I didn't exactly expect him to talk my ear off, but I just have a bad feeling. I don't think he's doing well and you are the only one of his friends attending the same school as him."

Whoa, wait? Since when were she and Seki friends? They were not friends! They were acquaintances. Perhaps even enemies. Yes, that's it! Seki was her nemesis. It was a good thing she was on the phone because she couldn't stop the evil smirk that bloomed on her face. She didn't think Katsumi would understand.

"I'm sure Seki-kun is fine." He was probably driving his classmates nuts. The jerk!

"Yeah, you're probably right, but I was hoping that you could check on him. It would put my mind at ease. Not to mention Jun-chan's. She's very worried about her older brother."

Ah no fair bringing up Jun. She was the most adorable younger sister that Seki didn't deserve to have at all. "Ah, well, I suppose I could go check on him."

"Thank you Rumi-chan! I knew, I absolutely knew, I could count on you!"

"It's nothing," she mumbled fighting off a blush. It wasn't like she was really doing anything. She was just going to check on him and that would be that.

"He's in the complex of dorms all named after trees. His is Fuji."

That whole complex was just for boys. Her complex was named after flowers and on the other side of campus. Her dorm Yamabuki was practically off campus. No wonder she hadn't seen him. "I know where that is Katsumi-san. I'll just stop by tomorrow after I go shopping. What's his room number?" She would we be passing by that way anyway. Although maybe she should go before shopping so she could use that to lift her mood after dealing with Seki.

"He's in room 307 and I was actually hoping you could check on him now."

It was her turn to sigh. Stupid Seki. Always ruining everything. "I guess I can go now..."

"Thank you! Jun-chan and I really, really appreciate it. But I got to go make lunch now. Bye." And then she hung up before Rumi could even process her words.

She felt she'd just been tricked somehow. Sometimes she was too nice for her own good.

Well, she had said she would, so she'd best get it over with. And to think she hadn't been properly enjoying her math. She'd take math over Seki any day.

The walk over to his dorm was pleasant. The Sakura trees were in full blossom and their scent was almost enough to keep dread from settling in her stomach like an ice cube.

It wasn't that she was worried about Seki. He didn't _deserve_ her concern.

But she'd never really spoken to him before. Not even when they interacted outside of class. He never said a single word to her. Was it strange that she'd somehow come to know his mother and younger sister when they didn't even talk to each other?

And now she was getting a headache. She could always count on Seki for that.

It wasn't that hard to get into Seki's dorm. She just said she needed to see a friend and the boy who'd been entering just held the door open for her. Not the best security, but she wasn't exactly there to hurt anyone so she supposed it wasn't that big of a deal.

But really. Of all the people in the world, she might be one of the few who'd considered revenge on Seki for years. She just _might_ be dangerous.

She didn't even have to knock on his door because it was open. His roommate seemed to have a few friends over crammed in front of a small TV playing a video game. She would have thought Seki would be all for that, but he was just lying on his bed staring at the ceiling.

At first glance, he seemed okay. But after a moment she recognized gaze as the one he got when he couldn't finish an activity or Uzawa was nearby. It seemed much worse than usual though with the dark circles under his eyes. He even looked a little skinnier. Like he wasn't eating.

Maybe there was something wrong with him.

Not quite sure how to start she just went with the truth. "Ano, Seki-kun. Your mother is worried about you. You should really call her and let her known you're alright." She remained in the doorway hesitant to enter.

The roommate and his friends whipped their head in her direction after clearly having been unaware of her presence. Then they turned to Seki expectantly. None of them seemed to notice the sounds of explosions their game made after they diverted their attention. Or the GAME OVER she could see flashing on the screen.

Of course Seki didn't say anything. He didn't even turn to look at her.

Suddenly very irritated she stormed into the room, even though technically she hadn't been invited in. She loomed over his bed and used the look she knew terrified him. "Seki-kun, you need to start being more responsible. You look like you haven't slept or eaten. I know you're probably having lots of fun goofing off during class, but that's no excuse to trouble Katsumi-san! Or Jun-chan! You can't be selfish all the time!" It probably felt better than it should have to say those words, but really he had it coming. For like the _entirety_ of the time they'd known each other.

At this Seki turned to look at her before lowering his gaze to the floor.

Gasping she took a step back. Seki looked miserable. Something really was wrong. He wasn't just goofing off and neglecting himself. It was more than that.

But really he should be happy. Professors were much less attentive than high school teachers. And the classes were so big that plenty of people were doing things they shouldn't have. Seki should have already assembled a group, no a _league_, of people to do unstudious things with. She hated to admit it, but he was impressive. Why was he so sad? She could hardly imagine what his desk-

Oh.

_His desk._

Seki couldn't have the same desk everyday and certainly not in every room. And the ones in the lecture halls were actually very tiny so they could fold to the side. There was no way his escapades could be as elaborate as they had been. Sure he could do some of the simpler things, but they would pale in comparison to the stunts he'd managed the last few months of their senior year.

No way was he approaching that reenactment he'd done of that one Indiana Jones movie where the temple is collapsing around them. That was brilliant.

But the constraints of a college desk would not allow for brilliance.

And Seki wasn't one for doing less, when he could do more.

She tried to smile at him, but suddenly she too was feeling very morose. Even though she hadn't wanted him bothering her. She'd never imagined he wasn't happy, wasn't being a nuisance and wasn't being his odd version insanely clever. It made her stomach twist strangely.

"I think I understand, Seki-kun. But surely you wouldn't let something like _that_ stop you from having fun."

He jerked his head up abruptly, his eyes widening in shock. She'd always liked his eyes when they weren't narrowed as he terrorized some imaginary village.

She chuckled at his expression. "What? You didn't think I could figure it out. Please. You're not that hard to understand."

He sighed. Clearly he didn't know what to do.

Well, for once he seemed like he might actually listen to her and she couldn't in good conscience leave him in this state. "The first thing you need to do is take a shower. After that I'm going to make you dinner. Then we'll figure out some sort of solution."

He offered her a small smile and nodded before grabbing a towel and a tiny basket that contained shampoo and soap. And then disappeared out the door to where the showers were she presumed.

"Okay, what the Hell?"

She almost jumped when one of the boys who'd been playing the video game, possibly his roommate, spoke to her. She'd forgotten they were there and he seemed almost belligerent. As she turned to face him she noticed that the other boys also seemed to be somewhat confused. "I'm sorry?"

The boy scoffed and pointed in the direction Seki had gone. "That guy doesn't talk, hardly eats and barely sleeps for the whole time I've been here. I only know his name because it's on the door and you walk in here, _look_ at him, somehow figure out what the hell is wrong with him and then just send him off to take a shower. So I repeat. What. The. Hell? I thought he was one of those geeks that need to be on the internet 24/7 and he was going through withdrawal since this dorm doesn't have any."

Rumi couldn't help it. She giggled. Seki had way too much imagination to be on the internet all the time. He'd never struck her as being too into computers. "Well, Seki-kun can get stuck in certain moods."

"So what's wrong with him?" one of the other boys asked, the taller one. He kind of reminded her of Maeda.

She shrugged trying to look indifferent. "He's bored and frustrated."

Suddenly they all exchanged looks and started laughing. "Oh," the roommate said his voice failing to conceal his sudden mirth. "I see. You must be in one of the all girl dorms."

She frowned confused. "Well, I am, but what does-"

"And boys aren't allowed in those," another boy said. He was shorter and rounder than the rest and voice had the oddest quality to it.

"Well, no they aren't but-" What are they even talking about? Maybe this was why she understood Seki. He _didn't_ speak.

"And you two haven't seen each other since school started," the forth and last of the boys pointed out. He looked like he might be of mixed descent.

And how did he know she hadn't seen Seki?

The taller boy chuckled. "He should have just mentioned you. We would have understood."

She scowled at the four boys in front of her. "Understood what?" She really had no idea what they were talking about.

Finally they calmed down to where they were just wearing big grins. The roommate made a sweeping gesture to the room. "You're welcome whenever. Just let me know in advance if you need any privacy."

Privacy? Privacy for _what_? Although maybe she would try to keep the lectures discreet. It would probably be better for Seki's pride. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind," she said with a smile. Even though these guys were weird at least they were friendly.

Before it could get any weirder, Seki returned smelling better and looking calmer. His eyes even had some of their old sparkle. The relief that burned in her heart caught her off guard, but she didn't let it throw her off. She would have to go to the market for supplies. Fortunately she could cook in the kitchen his dorms had. Hopefully it would be less crowded than the one at her dorm. After all, boys were lazy, right?

"Ready, Seki-kun?"

After grabbing his jacket he nodded. The boys were all giving him admiring looks and thumbs up. Once they'd reached the stairs he gave her a look of confusion.

She shrugged. "I don't know, Seki-kun. They seem nice enough, but they don't make a lot of sense."

The walk to the market was surprisingly nice. She'd never walked anywhere with Seki. She'd followed him a couple times, but he hadn't known she was there and this time she wasn't worried about him causing trouble or getting himself set on fire.

She decided a simple stir-fry dish with soba noodles should suffice and they were in and out in about 15 minutes. She would do they rest of her shopping the next day as planned. It was part of her Sunday routine and she enjoyed the walk.

The kitchen in Seki's dorm was abandoned and she felt jealous. She might have to come here to cook in the future. It was so freeing to be able to use all parts of the kitchen at once.

While she prepared the food Seki just sat the counter and watched as she chopped the veggies and sautéed the meat. She should have made him help, but she figured she could go easy on him just this once. It had been a hard couple of weeks for him.

It wasn't until he was on his second serving that she started considering what he could do to make his life more interesting. Surely he could enjoy other things besides being a distraction in class!

Why did he like doing the things he did during class? Sometimes they were games or variations of games. Sometimes the involved toys. (How was the robot family doing? Focus!) But some were things that were not very fun like polishing his desk or running a post office.

What did they have in common? They involved planning, ingenuity and focus. Seki just needed a hobby that involved extensive planning, complex problem solving and long periods of focus. Really any hobby could have those things, but it had to be something that lent itself to imagination. Maybe allowed him to do many different types of activities. He never repeated any of his activities once he was 'successful.' Except for the robot family which were admittedly awesome and too cute to grow bored of.

The robot family!

That was it! It was perfect! Also she just _had_ to find out where they were.

"Seki-kun should make robots."

His eyes shot to hers. He looked excited for a moment before he seemed to almost scoff.

She shook her head at him. "No, think about it Seki-kun. Robots can be programmed to do all sorts of things and there are many different components to a robot. Its programming, its design, its construction. And you wouldn't get bored because each could be made to do a different thing. And while you probably couldn't build one during class: you could work on the programming or the design. Although really you should just pay attention. This _is_ college. It's serious."

He rested his head on his hand in thought finally giving her idea the consideration it obviously deserved. As the idea took hold he seemed to grow more excited. He had the same look that always meant she was going to be particularly distracted during class. Normally it would bother her, but at that moment she was just relieved.

"Of course, you'll have to get a job. Making robots would get pricey on any allowance Katsumi-san may be sending you." She regret the words as soon as she said them. Seki seemed to deflate.

"Ne, Seki-kun, no need to be discouraged. You're actually quite industrious; I'm sure you could get a job."

Glumly he pointed to his mouth.

"Oh, well, you could just try talking occasionally."

He just crossed his arms and looked away. Hmm, maybe there was a reason he didn't talk. Maybe he was actually shy. Maybe he had a lisp.

Maybe he'd made some sort of vow of silence for some reason that she probably wouldn't get.

But he was right. Most jobs required some talking. Except-

Except jobs like stocking. He probably wouldn't have to say anything to anyone if he didn't really want to. And he was good at organizing things. Although he'd still probably need to talk during the interview unless-

Unless she got her uncle to give him a job too. Her Uncle Hitoshi owned a hardware store a few blocks away from her dorm. He said she could work there in the afternoons and on weekends. She was actually planning on going to an orientation after grocery shopping tomorrow. The only problem with bringing Seki would be that if her uncle hired him she'd have to work with him.

She'd have to see him. Probably daily. What if he was distracting at work too?

But would he really be? Work wasn't sitting around listening to a lecture. It was doing things and while it might be boring Seki didn't actually seem to mind doing boring things as long as they didn't involve sitting and listening.

He would probably be a good employee.

"Don't give up, Seki-kun. I may have a solution."

And if she blushed right then it was not because of the radiant smile he gave her. It was probably just hot in the kitchen from the cooking she'd been doing.

* * *

Not only did her uncle need another stocker, but that he also seemed to enjoy Seki's company. She was happy they got along for Seki's sake even though it angered her that he'd so easily charmed someone from her family. Her nemesis shouldn't engender goodwill with them.

Although she had introduced the two, so her uncle probably didn't know they were enemies.

She ignored the small voice that seemed to be whispering that _maybe_ they weren't in fact enemies. She did wonder why it sounded like his little sister Jun.

And it turned out working with Seki was much easier than attending class with him. Most days she was working she worked up front why he worked in the back. Her uncle trusted them so frequently they were the only two on shift. His store was small enough that it didn't require that much more manpower.

Seki was very good at anticipating her needs because he was observant and could think ahead. Whenever she needed something from the back, she just had to call his name gesture to general vicinity of where the item was displayed and he would show up with the exact right item. It allowed her to feel more professional in front of customers because she was wasn't screaming about which particular screw she needed or kind of doorknob.

Working with Seki was as easy as working against him was hard.

And between eight hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday and three hour shift in the afternoons, they both had plenty of spending money. She could buy the nice hardcover versions of books and Seki could buy the things he needed for making robots bit by bit.

First he'd bought some programming books and some software. He always wanted to show what he was learning which she might have appreciated better if she didn't find it so boring. But he helped her with calculus so she let him show her lines of code and the explanations he wrote for it was going to do.

He also liked to go to a junkyard at the edge of town looking for parts. She didn't mind so much when he dragged her on those trips. She liked finding odd bit of things imagining where they'd come from and what he might possibly do with them.

Although the most interesting this was to watch him when he finally got to assembling his robot. Sometimes he would just be using screws or glue in his room, but others he had to go to the metal working lab on campus.

Robotics became his hobby, but watching him accidentally became hers. It wasn't that different from high school except he wasn't negatively affecting her grades. (She never would have passed calculus without him.) Most nights she used the kitchen in his dorm to make dinner because she was already there and it was always deserted. It even got to the point where he'd carry her groceries and pay for them every other week.

Best of all he seemed to actually be paying attention in class if his grades were any indication.

After he'd learned about her being a folklore major, he asked her to give his robots back stories and it felt nice to be actively participating.

Since they saw each other so much she was always able to give Katsumi updates when she called.  
(Although she could never figure out why she didn't try to email him.)

Her roommate never seemed to warm up to her, but she really only slept in her dorm and not much else. Seki's roommate, Eto Goro, was, in contrast, very friendly. He and his friends were a bit persistent in telling her how lucky Seki was. She didn't need them to remind her about his continual good fortune, but, aside from that, they were pleasant company. Eto was always thanking her for making Seki tolerable.

She didn't mind that so much. It was hard work keeping his energies directed for the forces of good.

At the beginning of her second semester she ran into another former classmate: Gotou Sakurako.

"Yokoi-san!" she'd said with enough cheer to make her blush. The rest of their art 101 class turned toward the corner they were sitting in, but turned away when all they saw that there was nothing going on. Obviously abashed, Gotou leaned towards her. "Gomen Yokoi-san. I was just glad to see you."

Rumi smiled at the girl who still wore her hair in braids. "I'm glad to see you too." Some days Gotou had seemed like the only girl who understood how crazy Seki was driving her.

After class they decided to eat lunch together.

"So, how's Seki-kun?" The dark haired girl asked the question very casually as she sipped on her strawberry smoothie.

"He's fine. Why do you ask?" How did she know she'd been spending time with Seki?

For some reason Gotou blushed. "I just want to know if he- And you were- Still-"

Rumi laughed. Gotou was so considerate to check and make sure Seki wasn't making her miserable. "Oh, everything is fine. In fact, it's better than ever." The other girl must have heard through mutual friends that both she and Seki were going to the same school as her. She wished she'd been paying more attention. Gotou would be a fun person to hang out with and she hadn't had any girl company since the beginning of school.

"That's wonderful, Yokoi-san! Sometimes I worried about you two."

Rumi lowered her eyes to her small basket of fries. "We weren't that bad, were we?" Geez, Seki was always getting her into trouble and making her look ridiculous.

Gotou just laughed. "Well, not must of the time. You always did have some sort of understanding. Lines you wouldn't cross."

Rumi felt her lips tip up in bemusement. An understanding? She and Seki? Well, she'd never turned him in and he'd let her pay enough attention to get into college. Not to mention, sometimes, (very rarely,) she enjoyed his antics. "I never thought about it like that. Seki-kun has always just been Seki-kun and I've had to deal with that."

"Wow, Yokoi-san. That's amazing."

Rumi beamed at her friend. She really had missed Gotou. She was good for her confidence.

It wasn't long before she was hanging out with her, Seki, Eto and Eto's friends: Dan, the tall one, Genda, the short one, and Ibu, the one whose mother was a Spaniard. Goto and Eto really hit it off. They started dating only two weeks after being introduced. They were always off in the corner whispering to each other about something or another. They were so cute.

By November, she and Seki would watch movies every Saturday. They alternated between the gross and scary ones Seki preferred to the romantic comedies that Seki called gross and scary. The wimp.

They always started the movie around five so it would still be early in the evening when she returned to her dorm. Except one day Seki spent extra time welding together a particularly intricate arm and they didn't start until nine so it would be nearly midnight when the credits started rolling. It had been his turn to pick the movie and it had been as disgusting as usual, but she'd hardly noticed with how tired she was. She actually fell asleep on Seki as they sat there.

She woke up around 1:30 if his alarm clock was to be believed wrapped in his arms.

Through sheer willpower she managed not to scream in mortification.

"Seki-kun!" she whispered fiercely into the shadows of his dorm room. The TV was off and she could see by the moonlight filtering in through the blinds the robot family sitting on a small couch on his bedside table. They too seemed to have fallen asleep watching the movie. "Seki-kun, I have to get back to-"

"Rumi _stay_."

She forgot how to breathe. Seki had just said- Seki had just- He'd spoken words to her.

He'd said her name.

(He wanted her to stay.)

She slid a glance at the robot family. The son had fallen asleep with one arm hanging so his fingers brushed the tabletop they were situated on, but the mother was curled up in the father's lap with one of his arms wrapped around her. It didn't seem so bad.

It wouldn't be so bad to stay.

"Okay. I'll stay."

Sleep claimed her before the last word had left her lips and her dreams were filled with half remembered Shogi games and confused Othello matches and of the robot family as they did everything with all their heart.

With all their heart. Just like Seki.

* * *

Somehow the next morning wasn't awkward. She made breakfast and he let her borrow some his cloths so she had something to change into. They lazed about in his room while he sketched out a new robot and she once again tried to decipher his system of organization.

Eto came back with Gotou and they got into a really heated Mortal Kombat tournament that made her very glad she was hardly even a spectator. No one seemed to notice she was wearing Seki's cloths and eventually Gotou walked with her across campus before they parted and went to their separate dorms.

Predictably her roommate was nowhere to be seen and she was able to flop onto her bed without audience. Against her will she noticed the shirt she was wearing smelled like Seki and for some reason she kind of liked that.

Something was terribly wrong with her.

It was making her head hurt and her ears ring.

Actually that was her phone.

"Moshi moshi?" It was an unknown number. It better not be that insurance salesman that had been spamming her.

"Onee-chan!"

She blinked. "Jun-chan? I didn't know you had a phone."

"I just turned twelve! Okaa-san got it for me!" Rumi smiled. She could hear the girl beaming over the phone. She was always so joyful. She was once again glad the girl had stopped emulating her brother's silence. One mute per family was more than enough.

Except he wasn't always mute.

"That's great, Jun-chan."

But her voice must have given away some of her newly acquired confusion because the girl asked, "What's wrong Onee-chan? Is Nii-chan being mean to you? Do I need to beat him up?"

Rumi took a moment to swallow the sudden lump that formed in her throat. "No, he's- he's been great Jun-chan." Really he had. She actually enjoyed just being with him. She only sometimes wanted to strangle him.

"Mmm. Okay, but just remember he's stupid. If you need him to be nicer to you, you have to tell him."

Rumi frowned. "Why would I need him to be nicer to me?"

Jun giggled. "Because you guys _like_ each other. So you like to be _nice_ to each other. But sometimes girls don't just wanna hold hands. They want to kiss and hug and do other stuff. Okaa-san says I have to wait 'til I'm older, but you're already older so you can if you want. I hear boys like being nice to girls so Nii-chan will probably like it too."

Rumi looked at the phone in her hand aghast. She felt like her face was about to melt off. Seki's younger sister thought that her and Seki were- were- were _involved_.

Were they involved?

Why had he said her name?

...

_How_ had she not noticed?

"Onee-chan I have to go. Okaa-san wants me to help her weed. I hope you feel better soon. I can ask my brother to be extra nice if you want."

"No!" she shouted into the phone in her haste to convince the girl to not do anything so embarrassing. "No, no, it's fine. Thank you, but I will work this out on my own."

"O-kay," Jun said her tone skeptical. "Talk to you later, Onee-chan."

"Bye, Jun-chan. Thanks for calling."

After hanging up, Rumi left the phone fall from her hand and bounce off her bed onto the floor.

Jun-chan thought she was Seki's girlfriend, but she wasn't because she wasn't. They hadn't even been friends until recently. And Seki had never asked and he didn't think they were.

He's literally only ever said two words to her.

Except he'd asked her to stay.

And he'd called her Rumi.

(They were good words.)

How dare he confuse her this way!

They couldn't be in a relationship! Not without her knowing! Just because they ate most of their meals together and she was always hanging out in his room and he took her to look for robot parts and he listened to her analyze her favorite stories and he let her take the robot family home sometimes and-

They were totally in a relationship.

How did this happen? Did Seki know?

(Of course he did. He was devious that way.)

When had he been planning on telling her!? Did everyone else know?

They couldn't have found out before her.

(Maybe they could.)

Somehow in the middle of her misery her feet decided to walk her to Seki's dorm. She was being let into in his room before she'd realized she was on the move. Eto was giving her a strange look from where he was holding the door open. Gotou's eyes were concerned and slightly apprehensive from where she was perched on Eto's desk chair. Dan, Genda and Ibu had all abandoned their game to gawk at her.

"Are you okay, Yokoi-san?"

As she considered Gotou's question she realized her face was wet and she'd been crying. Everyone seemed to want to ask the same question.

But the only person she could stand to look at was Seki. It was all his fault she was so confused and still he was the only one she wanted to talk to. But she could not find any words and she just wanted him to look and know what she needed without her saying anything.

After all she was constantly doing that for him.

(She needed him to understand her.)

Carefully he picked up the robot family from where they had been sleeping before he cleared his nightstand in one careless motion. His alarm clock actually shattered on the floor, but he didn't seem to notice as it and the various knickknacks that had been resting there littered the floor. He set the son on the window sill so he could survey the room and have a good view of the stage Seki had just cleared. Carefully he deposited the adult robots on the bed before he fell to the floor and start riffling through his many boxes. Eventually he found the one he was looking for and set it on the bed before lifting off the lid and pulling out two desks and a chair. Which he then arranged on the desk. One in a corner and one kind of in the middle of the room. If the nightstand was a classroom that the one in the corner was where Seki always sat.

She held her breath as he positioned the father in the back and put the mother in the other desk.

Suddenly she felt like she was back in high school and Seki was putting on a show that only she ever seemed to notice.

After a few quick and deft manipulations he turned the father towards where the mother was sitting, but she was turned away from him. It looked like her attention was elsewhere.

Then she was sitting in the front row clearly focusing on the lesson, but that meant she didn't see the cute bear pyramid that the father had made on his desk. Rumi wanted to tell her to turn around, but she held her tongue. Every time the mother moved, the father would try to do something new to capture her attention, but she never noticed and Rumi could tell the father was disheartened in the way he slumped in his seat. Silently she cheered him on for she'd always admired the father and hoped for him to have success in all his endeavors.

Seasons passed. She could tell as the father use Sakura petals to make a picture of a cherry tree and then sand from the beach to make a castle and autumn leaves to make a small pile for bears to jump in to a tiny snowman family. But even over all that time he failed to get the mother's attention.

But then it happened. Her desk was right next to his and she noticed when he made eraser dominos.

But it backfired. It made her angry.

And so it went. Finally she was looking his way, but she was not pleased. Rumi could see how she was ignoring him.

Until she didn't. Until sometimes she would look over with her shoulders lose and posture curious. Until sometimes she would try to interfere when the father's antics grew blood thirsty.

(She'd never understood why he had to be that way.)

And Rumi sighed because finally the mother could see the father and see how innovative he could be.

(She always admired how could make something out of anything.)

She could see how artistic he was.

(She never gotten around to tossing that charcoal drawing he'd done of her one muggy day their junior year.)

How determined and resolute he could be.

(Because he never gave up and he always found a way to succeed.)

And suddenly Rumi clutched her sides as she started laughing.

Of course. That's exactly how it'd been. She hadn't noticed until she couldn't stop noticing.

And he wanted her too because she could read his stories without words and hear the tales he told in silence. And she could alter them and defeat his armies and make them better.

And share in his joy.

"Yokoi-san?"

And she would have kept laughing, but Gotou's voice sounded worried, almost upset. "It's okay, Gotou-san. Everything's alright. Toshinari and I are dating and it's okay."

His name burst like fizz on her lips and everything was alright.

She didn't even care that no one else seemed surprised.

(Or that Eto seemed to be as confused as he'd been that first day or that Dan was asking about the robot family or that Genda was staring her as if she had two heads or than Ibu was laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face cackling about integrals and bears.)

And he just beamed at her like he always did.

(When she was impressed by the things he did.)

They had an understanding, her and Toshinari, and it was just between them.

(And no one else really needed to hear the words they didn't speak to another.)

* * *

So let me know what you think. If you want. ^.^

Coming Soon: The Demon To Her Left It turns out Seki actually_ is_ a demon. Someone should have warned Rumi about the dangers of being distracted by one. Extremely AU. Extremely dark. This one earns it's M rating. I'm in the process of editing it and the first two chapters have been posted.


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